In full page ads, AAP accuses Centre of stalling development work

New Delhi, July 7 (IANS) The Aam Aadmi Party government of Delhi has again launched a full-blast attack on the ‘Government of India’, accusing it of stalling all its development works, marking an escalation in the row between the two sides.

“The Government of India has suddenly transferred senior officers in-charge of important departments outside Delhi, without consulting the elected Government of Delhi,” the full page advertisement on Thursday in mainstream dailies with the picture of Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said.

The ad labelled “Why the people of Delhi should suffer?” said that development work on modernisation of schools, installing CCTV cameras, developing roads, drainage and sewerage in unauthorised colonies, among others, has been stalled because the central government transferred the related officers.

The ad said there are 309 sanctioned posts of DANICS (Delhi, Andaman Nicobar Island Civil Services) officers for Delhi but the Centre has so far provided only 165 officers.

“If they do not provide us officers to work with, we will get experts from amongst you since there is no dearth of experts in Delhi,” the ad said.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which won a sweeping victory in Delhi assembly elections last year, has been accusing the Centre, especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi, of interfering in the city government’s functioning and of using central agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for intimidating it.

Sisodia on Tuesday accused the Centre of wanting to run a parallel government in Delhi, and termed it a conspiracy.

He alleged that the Centre wanted to “weaken” the Delhi government, and added: “It is the central government’s responsibility to provide officers to Delhi government. But it has failed to do so because it wants to weaken the Delhi government by taking away our officers.”